Turkish taxes cause border
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BRITISH Middle East drivers are being caught up in a 400vehicle queue on the Turkish border with Bulgaria following the imposition of the new Turkish transit taxes. (CM March 5) The new rates have meant that drivers are turning up with insufficient funds and are having to send for more.
FTA Middle East expert Mr Martin Castle told CM German drivers are worst hit.
Germany has no agreements with Turkey but Britain does have some agreements that reduce the level of tax.
Confusion on who is liable to pay the new tax includes the Turkish guards themselves.
The new taxes mean that it can cost up to £350 for a lorry to make the one-way trip across Turkey and an empty truck is likely to have to pay £100. They are also levying a fuel adjustment surcharge for trucks on their way outward— another £45.
An RHA spokesman told CM: "It is a confused situation; I know of people who have got through without paying." The tax is calculated on the basis of 25 kurus per capacity tonne/km for laden vehicles and according to the unladen weight for unladen trucks.
Fuel surcharges will depend on payload capacity of the vehicle and will range from 45 kurus per km at less than 10 tonnes (9.84 tons) to 75 kurus per km at over 15 tonnes (14.76 tons).
There will also be a fine of 10 times the tax for evading it. Exchange rates vary but there are 100 kurus to the Turkish lira and 31 liras to the pound.